IDENTIFICATION AND CARBOHYDRATE SPECIFICITY OF A CHICKEN SERUM MANNAN-BINDING PROTEIN REACTIVE WITH A RA CHEMOTYPE STRAIN OF SALMONELLA-TYPHIMURIUM

To compare a chicken serum mannan-binding protein (MBP) with a chicken Ra-reactive factor (RaRF), both serum proteins were isolated by combi nation of different chromatography. In SDS-PAGE, both purified protein s were resolved into a major protein band with a molecular weight of 3 4,000 and a few minor protein bands. In Western blotting with both pur ified proteins, only a single band with a molecular weight of 34,000 w as detected with anti-chicken serum MBP antibody, indicating that the major protein band of chicken serum MBP and RaRF are antigenically ide ntical. The combining sites of these two proteins were most reactive w ith N-acetylmannosamine followed by mannose, N-acetylglucosamine, and L-fucose. These findings suggest that chicken serum MBP may be identic al to its corresponding bactericidal factor RaRF in terms of antigenic ity and monosaccharide specificity.